PowerPoint for ITEC 7530

1. Assistive Technologyin the Classroom Kate Maine Georgia Southern University Fall 2011

2. Children with disabilities are evaluated as having mental retardation, a hearing impairment, a speech or language impairment, a visual impairment, a serious emotional disturbance, an orthopedic impairment, autism, traumatic brain injury, an other health impairment, a specific learning disability, deaf-blindness, or multiple disabilities, and who, by reason thereof, needs special education and related services.1 Working with studentswith special needs

3. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) is a federal law ensuring services to children with disabilities throughout the nation. IDEA governs how states and public agencies provide early intervention, special education and related services.1 Educational Requirements

4. Least restrictive environment - To the maximum extent appropriate, children with disabilities, including children in public or private institutions or other care facilities, are educated with children who are nondisabled.2 Inclusionplaces students with disabilities in regular classrooms as a means to provide them with the same opportunities as other students. This requires that teachers find ways to accommodate various learning needs as appropriate.3 Key Terms

5. An IEP is a written statement for each child with a disability that is developed, reviewed, and revised to includea statement of the child’s present levels of academic achievement and functional performance, and how the child’s disability affects the child’s involvement and progress in the general education curriculum.2 Assistive technology refers to devices or services that enable students with disabilities to function within the mainstream classroom.4 Key Terms

6. ADHD Auditory disability Mild learning disabilities with particular impacts on reading and writing Identified Special Needs

7. Teachers can help students with ADHD be successful through academic instruction, behavioral modifications, classroom accommodations. Examples: Pointers, such as bookmarks, can help the student visually track written words on a page and follow along as students are taking turns reading aloud.6 Use motivating computer programs for specific skill building and practice (programs that provide for frequent feedback and self correction.7 Instructional Best Practices ADHD

8. Hearing assistive technology (HATS) for children enable students with auditory disabilities to participate in the traditional classroom and maximize learning capabilities.8 Examples: FM transmitter systems allow the student to hear the teacher’s voice at an appropriate and constant intensity level, regardless of the distance between the child and the teacher. Additionally, they allow the teacher’s voice to be heard more prominently than background classroom noise.8 Improving classroom acoustics and reducing background noise can help students with auditory disabilities as well as all other students who might be easily distracted.8 Instructional Best Practices Auditory disability

9. Teachers can help students with ADHD be successful through academic instruction, behavioral modifications, classroom accommodations. Examples: For students who have trouble reading, recorded audiobooks can provide a way to listen to text and/or follow along with print books.9 Desktop publishing/multimedia activities can help motivate students who struggle with reading and writing to write and express themselves visually.10 Instructional Best Practices Mild Learning Disabilities

10. http://idea.ed.gov/ http://nichcy.org/schoolage/keyterms http://techinclusion.tripod.com/ http://uts.cc.utexas.edu/~wilbur/access/assistive.html http://www2.ed.gov/rschstat/research/pubs/adhd/adhd-teaching-2006.pdf http://www.ldonline.org/article/8797#instructional http://www.ldonline.org/article/Checklists_for_Teachers http://www.asha.org/public/hearing/Hearing-Assistive-Technology-for-Children/ http://www.greatschools.org/special-education/assistive-technology/954-audio-books-publications.gs?page=1 http://www.ericdigests.org/2003-1/assistive.htm References